


Christmas with the Keepers

by kingdomkeeperofthelibrary



Category: Kingdom Keepers - Ridley Pearson
Genre: Christmas!, F/M, Ficlet Christmas countdown, Fluff, Maybe more than a touch, Mid-series gap, with just a touch of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-05 23:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16820287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingdomkeeperofthelibrary/pseuds/kingdomkeeperofthelibrary
Summary: It's senior year for the Kingdom Keepers and, with graduation looming, they face their last highschool Christmas together. Charlene's in LA, Maybeck is missing her, Finn is trying to navigate his feelings for Amanda, and Jess and Willa are plotting a master plan to make it everyone's best Christmas ever. No one quite knows what will happen this season, but it's sure to be one filled with, as the the Keepers' lives always are, adventure. Come count down to Christmas and enjoy 25 fluffy ficlets full of Holly Jolly Keeper fun! One chapter/story released a day until Christmas!





	1. Welcome Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome to the Keeper Christmas ficlet extravaganza! I've done this kind of countdown for other fandoms before and its always so much fun, so I hope you all have a lot of fun with it! This year I'm working with @kingdomkeepersunite on Instagram to make the countdown, so check her page for edits to go along with the stories, coming soon! Until then, I hope you enjoy, because we've got a boatload of fluffy Christmas fun prepared for you!

“Christmas Day will always be

Just as long as we have we”

* * *

Willa hummed and practically skipped as she headed towards the front doors of Junior’s Diner, a traditional Saturday morning meeting spot for her and her best friends. They’d been coming here for breakfast nearly every Saturday for the past few years, and it was always the best part of her week. Today though, was even more special than it normally was: today was December 1 st . Once inside, she gave a quick nod to the greeter, who knew her well, and made her way back to the same table where the group always met.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” she proclaimed when she reached them, throwing her hands up in the air.

The Kingdom Keepers, already seated for breakfast, turned around to see Willa standing there, fully decked out in a green camisole, red sweater, Santa hat, and a Christmas light necklace and earrings. 

“Little early there Wills,” Maybeck said

“Nuh uh,” Willa replied, sliding into the booth next to Philby, his arm quickly reaching to wrap around her. “I hold back after Halloween, and Thanksgiving, but now all bets are off my dude.”

“Bah humbug,” Finn muttered jokingly, sipping a cup of coffee, causing the rest of them to snort. 

“Yeah, don’t be such a scrooge babe,” a voice said. 

Willa, not having yet noticed the laptop on the table, turned to see Charlene talking to them through video chat. 

“It’s very unbecoming,” she teased.

Maybeck rolled his eyes as she stuck her tongue out playfully, but Willa was all smiles. 

“Hi Charlie!” she beamed. 

“Hey!” Charlene replied. 

Charlene had moved to LA last year after landing a job with the Disney Channel, and now she was palpably absent from most Keeper gatherings. Despite being far away though, she still tried to join them via phone-call or video-chat as often as she could. 

“Isn’t it like….super early over there?” Willa asked. 

“It is,” Charlene said yawning. “But I have to be on set in two hours anyway, so I thought I’d have breakfast with you guys.”

Everyone smiled, but Maybeck’s eyes were forlorn. He hadn’t been himself since she’d moved. 

“Anway,” Willa said, trying to brighten the mood. “We have to decide when we’re making Christmas cookies, and what day we’re going to Very Merry so that we can buy the tickets.”

Charlene frowned as Willa listed off all of the Keepers usual Christmas traditions.

“I’m gonna miss you guys this year,” she said. “This is the first time I won’t be there for all of this, and it’s the last one!”

With Charlene’s words, the laughter and smiles at the table died down as a more serious air came over them. No one had thought of it with much severity until Charlene said it out loud: this was their last Christmas together, at least Christmas in the way they’d always done it. Next year, all away at different colleges until days before the holiday, they’d have to sacrifice group gift-wrapping and shopping trips and Christmas karaoke. Even if they were all living close to each other again after college, things would never be quite the same as they were now. The Christmas season was just beginning, but everything was ending. 

“Hey,” Philby offered, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s not like we’re dying...it’s just gonna be different. And besides, we still have all of this year. It’s not over yet.”

Willa looked at him and smiled, though somehow that only made things worse. She loved him more than anything...loved all of them more than anything, and she was going to have to leave them in less than a year. All of a sudden, happiness could only remind her that she had something to lose. 

“Philby’s right,” Finn said. 

“Wow! Can I get that in writing?” Philby replied, prompting Finn to stick out his tongue, and the rest of the group, after a moment, to burst into laughter. 

“See?!” Finn insisted. “We’re fine! Let’s just live in the now!”

Everyone nodded, though solemnly, and, despite the overhanging tension, the morning carried on. 

“Okay!” Philby exclaimed. “Who’s in for a round of Gingerbread pancakes?”


	2. Blue Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that touch of angst I mentioned in the tags? Sorry!

“Decorations of red on a green Christmas tree

Won’t be the same dear if you’re not here with me”

**̴**

Maybeck was finishing up homework when a familiar sequence of six notes came from his computer. He swiveled around in his desk chair towards it and saw his favorite picture of him and Charlene filling the screen, along with the Skype icon that indicated she was calling. A huge smile lit up his face, and he straightened his shirt before hitting “answer”. 

The screen changed to reveal her smiling at him, and he immediately felt lighter. 

“Hi,” she said brightly. 

“Hey,” he exhaled. “It’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were gonna call.”

“We wrapped filming early today and I had some time before the Radio Disney session, so I thought I’d call and surprise you. I miss you.”

A knot formed in Maybeck’s throat. 

“I miss you too,” he croaked. 

He felt like he might cry then, and she smiled sadly, recognizing it instantly. Only she brought out this side in him, and she was the only one he’d ever let really see it. Being with her had exposed a version of himself that he never thought could exist, and being  _ without _ her for the last few months had been agonizing. Every time he saw her, as much as he loved it, it only made him wish more that she was there to lay her head on his shoulder and hold his hand. 

“So,” she said. “Did you and Jelly decorate the shop?”

“Not yet,” he said. “She’ll probably want to do it this week.”

“Well make sure it looks really good,” she teased. “I want to be amazed when I come to visit.” 

The word was like a punch to the gut:  _ visit _ : a reminder that any time she was here, it wasn’t for good. He was on one end of the country and she was on another: there was no way around it. He’d been doing everything that he could to see her as often as possible, applying almost exclusively to colleges near LA, but more often than not- for now- he couldn’t avoid the separation.

“When are you guys doing the Crazy Glaze party this year?” Charlene asked

“The ninth,” Maybeck said. “Everyone’s coming over to help wrap the pieces and stuff. Jess’ll probably help us paint before-hand.”

Now it was Charlene who was frowning. 

“I’m really gonna miss everything over there,” she said. 

“It’s not gonna be the same without you.”

They were both silent for a few moments. Memories flooded Maybeck of the past Christmases they’d spent together: Charlene coming over for dinner and helping him and his Aunt decorate Crazy Glaze for Christmas, sitting on his lap as he painted a Christmas piece for the window, the two of them in Philby’s basement on a Saturday night, singing karaoke to  _ Baby It’s Cold Outside _ . The thought of doing it all without her just felt wrong. 

“I know,” she said softly. “But I’ll be home for Christmas Eve.”

“Mhm,” Maybeck muttered, looking down. December 24th seemed incredibly far away. 

“Hey,” Charlene said. He looked up, and she put her hand against the screen, so that her palm faced the glass. 

“I love you,” she said. “We’ll be together before you know it.”

Maybeck smiled, and he did the same with his hand, so it was like they were touching, even though they were miles apart. 

“I know,” he said. "I love you too."

“Just think,” Charlene said. “When we finally  _ do _ see each other, we’ll be so happy it’ll be the best Christmas ever.”

Maybeck laughed. She always knew how to make him smile. 

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the first 2 stories! Things continue tomorrow with a little Wilby fun in "Deck the Halls!"


	3. Deck the Halls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Welcome to day 3 of the Christmas fluff-fest! I've got a really short one for you today, but one I think you'll enjoy. So please enjoy a Wilby rendering of "Deck the Halls!"

“Deck the Halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la la la la la la la la”

* * *

Willa was throwing her morning notebooks into the mess that was her locker when Philby came up to meet her for lunch. 

“Hey,” he said. “Who’s place are we going to today?”

They went to each other’s houses to do homework practically every day.

“I can’t today,” Willa said. “I have to stay with student council to decorate the hallways.”

“Oh,” Philby said plainly. “Okay.”

Willa sighed loudly and turned to him as she placed her hand on her hip. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Stay and help!” she pleaded. 

“I don’t know,” Philby sighed. “I’ve got a big paper to finish and I’ve never really been into decorating the lockers and…”

“ _ Come on _ ! It’ll be fun! We’re gonna string garland and lights and hang snowflakes from the ceiling, and we even a got a big tree for the lobby.”

Philby, still looking doubtful, was going to say something else, but Willa cut him off. 

“ _ And _ ....” she said. “You can help me decorate  _ my _ locker, and I’ve got some pretty awesome decorations this year.”

“Oh yeah?” He challenged her. 

Willa turned back to her locker in response, reaching into a plastic shopping bag and pulling out what looked like a small, green blob. When she turned and held it out towards Philby though, he saw it was a plastic mistletoe. 

He raised his eyebrows at her and she did the same, then started swinging the mistletoe back and forth and moving it towards the space over their heads. They stared at each other for a moment until Philby let out a loud sigh. 

“Fine.”

“Yay!” Willa cheered, and in a nanosecond she stood on her tippy-toes and planted a quick peck on his lips. 

Philby looked loopy for a moment, like someone had doused him with a cloud of laughing gas. Slowly, the corners of his mouth raised into a goofy smile. 

“Come on,” Willa said firmly, slamming her locker shut and starting down the hallway. “I’m hungry.”

Philby stood still as she walked on, and it was only after a few moments that she realized he was not with her and turned around. 

“Come on!” she insisted, as if she wasn’t the one that had been keeping them there to begin with. 

He shot her a quizzical look. but she still acted as if nothing were strange. He exhaled and shook his head, deciding to just go with it. He walked over to her and grabbed her hand, and together they made their way to lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye Keepers! Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow with "All I Want for Christmas is You"


	4. All I Want for Christmas Is You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm so excited to share today's ficlet, because I had so much fun writing it! I love imagining what the dynamics of those 3 missing years were using he little information we're given,and Fimanda's dynamic is one of the most interesting to look at, since it's seemingly so complex based on the Prom scene! I'll explore it a lot in this fic, but here is your first taste. Enjoy!

“I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know

Make my wish come true. 

All I want for Christmas is you”

******

Finn sighed as he scrolled through yet another useless page on Etsy. When he’d mentioned to Willa what he was looking for, and that he couldn’t find something anywhere, she’d suggested- with a bit too much enthusiasm- that he search the site (He’d paid for that conversation too, as now she texted him twice a day asking how the search was going and offering to help). Despite Willa’s persistence though, and his determination, finding the perfect Christmas gift for Amanda was proving to be a near impossible mission.

Nothing was right; everything was too subtle, or too direct, or just not something she could really use. Matching mugs with their names on it: way too forward; a tiny heart necklace: not personal enough; an ornament with Mickey and Minnie on it: she didn’t have anywhere to put it. He threw his head into his hands as he reached the end of yet another page that had presented him no solutions. He was starting to think that this was hopeless.

Of course, his uncertainty as to where they stood didn’t make any of this easier. They weren’t “just friends”, but they weren’t exactly “ _ dating _ ” either; they went out together, but they weren’t “going out”...and yet there seemed to be some kind of understanding that they were exclusive; she wasn’t technically his  _ girlfriend _ , but he was currently searching “disney couple” Etsy pages for her Christmas gift.

He sighed and threw his head into his hands. A few years ago everything seemed straight-forward. But after the cruise...after Dillard died…everything had blurred. For a year he’d pushed her away-though she’d never stopped being there for him anyway- and since then they’d never seemed to be able to get a hold of things. For some reason, though they were aware of them, neither of them could actually come out and talk about their feelings. Of course, the thought always loomed in the back of his mind that maybe he was wrong. Maybe he’d ruined everything years ago and she didn’t feel the same way he did. 

_ How was this all so easy when they were 14? _

Shaking it off, he sat up and sighed again as he clicked on Carl and Ellie “My Adventure Book” keychains, knowing already that it wasn’t going to satisfy him. 

“How you doing in here?”

Finn practically jumped out of his seat as his Mom’s voice broke the dead silence, and his train of thought, from his doorway. He waited a moment for his breathing started to return to normal before answering her. 

“What’s up Mom?” he asked. 

“Oh I was just coming to tell you that Amanda’s here!”

Finn felt his face get hot as it turned a bright shade of red, and he scrambled to close out the window. After a few seconds of fumbling with the mouse, he realized that his Mom was now laughing, and he understood what had happened. Sometimes she really took the “cool Mom” act too far. 

“What do you need Mom?” he asked, more insistent this time. 

“I was just coming to tell you that your Father and I were just talking and we’re gonna do the Christmas tree on Friday night,” she said. “And I was going to say that you should invite Amanda and Jess if you’d like.”

His mother, ever wanting to be charitable, felt the need to invite Amanda and Jess to practically everything they did. He figured it was partly her motherly instincts kicking into high-gear, since Amanda and Jess didn’t have parents, partly her wanting to make sure he was happy, and partly, probably mostly, that she had been expecting him and Amanda to get married one day since before he even knew that he liked her. He couldn’t complain though, as much as he rolled his eyes at her about it; anything was made better by having them around. 

“Al...alright,” he stammered, still caught off guard by her previous surprise. “I’ll ask Amanda at school tomorrow.”

She nodded then, and both of them were silent, but she still didn’t leave his room. She waited a moment before speaking again. 

“You’re not getting that for Amanda are you?” she asked

“Mom…” he complained. 

“I’m just saying! It’s a nice choice, but you could stand to go with something a bit more romantic.”

“ _ Mom _ .” The red in his face from before was returning, now ten times more vibrant. 

“You can’t keep shying away from these things if you want to get anywhere Finn!” she chided. “Girls want you to make the first move!”

“ _ Mom! _ ” 

“You think you’d be here right now if your father hadn’t ever asked me out on a date?!”

“ _ MOM!”  _ He yelled now, stopping her in her tracks, and causing a knowing smirk to come to her face. 

“Alright,” she said, as if she’d won something. “Message received.” 

She began to walk out of the room and sang to herself as she did so, thinking, apparently, that he couldn’t tell what she was doing. 

_ I don’t want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need. _

Finn turned back to his computer with a sigh of relief. While he appreciated that her intentions were good, her matchmaking skills were exhausting, and they only got worse as he got older. Shaking his head, he clicked out of the current page he was looking at, and continued his helpless search for the perfect gift. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course I had to send a little Mrs. Whitman love your way this season. Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow with some Willa and Jess banter in "White Christmas"!


	5. White Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello keepers! Today's story will set up a big plot point that'll carry us through the entire fic, and it's also just some fun with Jess and Willa, so I hope you enjoy!

“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, 

Just like the ones I used to know”

* * *

“Why do you suppose we’re painting a snowy backdrop for this thing if we live in Florida?” Willa asked. 

She and Jess were painting snow on top of a cottage on a large piece of canvas. Jess, as President of the Art Club, was tasked with making the scenery for the school’s Winter Arts Showcase, and Willa, being a performer in it, had agreed to help her during the free period they shared, which was now. 

“I don’t know,” Jess said, focused more on her work than the conversation. “People just associate snow with Christmas I guess.”

“But why? It doesn’t snow here! That doesn’t mean it’s not Christmas!”

“I don’t think anybody’s saying that.”

“It’s messed up!” Willa insisted, sitting up now and putting down her brush. Jess sighed as she sat up to join her. This period had ended up being spent more on chatting than on actually getting the poster done. 

“Weren’t you the one who was wearing a Snowman T-shirt yesterday?” she asked.

“That’s exactly the point!” Willa exclaimed. “We’re so ingrained into thinking that snow is an essential part of Christmas that we just go along with it, completely ignoring the fact that there are loads of places where it doesn’t snow about Christmas!”

“Willa?”

“I mean what about Australia! Over there, Christmas is during the  _ summer _ !”

Willa looked over to Jess, who was now staring at her with a raised eyebrow. After a moment, both girls burst into giggles. 

“You okay?” Jess asked. 

“Yeah, I’m just stressed with college applications,” Willa said. She picked up her brush and returned to working on the canvas. 

“So,” Jess asked, changing the subject. “Are you and Dell gonna go on the ski trip?”

“I don’t know,” Willa said. “We’ve talked about it, and it’s not like I’m not comfortable with him or anything, but there’s just... _ pressures _ I’m not sure I’m ready for.”

The ski trip was a popular, not school sponsored, trip taken by high-school seniors all over Orlando. At some point or another it had become tradition for the last weekend before Christmas break.Everyone rented cottages up in the mountains in North Carolina, and went skiing too. Over the years it had become known as “the prom night of Orlando.” With no parents or school chaperones around, and nothing to do at night but sit inside by the fire, there was certainly an expectation that not the most innocent of things would be happening in the cabins. 

“You really think Dell would pressure you into something you’re not ready for?” Jess said. 

“No of course not! It’s just...I don’t want either of us to feel pressured by the stigmas and just...a whole weekend away together? That’s a big step.”

“It was just a thought.”

“Why? Are you and Amanda going?”

“Are you kidding me? Nash would never let us out. Besides, we can’t afford it.”

Willa nodded and they went back to painting in silence, adding streaks of blue and light grey to give the snow it’s depth. After a moment, Jess snorted. 

“What?” Willa asked.

“Can you imagine if we sent Finn and Amanda on that trip?!”

Willa thought for a moment, they burst into hysterical laughter. Jess joined her, and soon their project was forgotten again, abandoned in favor of the joy that came from teasing their best friends. When those friends were Finn Whitman and Amanda Lockheart, the task proved rather easy. 

“Would anything actually happen or would they just sit three feet apart on the couch in silence for three days?!” Willa asked, wheezing through laughs. 

“I live with Amanda...I’m gonna go with the latter.”

The girls continued to laugh until Willa leaned back and sighed.

“I just don’t  _ get _ it!” she exclaimed. “They were basically dating in middle-school; they both  _ know _ they like each other; they go on dates, and yet I still have to listen to Finn wine about  _ oh I can’t say anything to her what if she doesn’t feel the same way?! _ It’s like give me a break!”

Jess laughed as Willa fell onto her back with a sigh. The backdrop was definitely forgotten by now. 

“Hey,” Willa said after a moment, seemingly realizing something. “You know what  _ would _ be cool?”

“What?”

“What if we all got a cabin together?”

“All six of us?”

“Yeah!” She sat up to face Jess again. 

“Think about how fun it would be: one last hurrah for the Kingdom Keepers! And with more of us, even though it’s a bigger cabin, it’ll be easier to split the cost, and anything you guys couldn’t afford the rest of us could help out with it.”

“Willa, no I couldn’t…”

“Hell,  _ I’ll _ pay for it. Consider it a Christmas present.”

Jess was flabbergasted, stammering to make sense of it all, and Willa was just beaming like the Times Square Christmas tree. 

“I told you,” she said. “Nash would never let us go. It’s not possible.”

“Oh come on,” Willa complained. “Nothing’s impossible, not for us! It might be hard, but we’ve pulled off harder.”

“I don’t know…”

“How about this: you work up the courage to ask Nash, and I’ll work up the courage to ask Dell: no more holding back.” 

Jess stopped for a moment and watched Willa, staring at her sassily and waiting for an answer. She had to admit: she liked the idea of going away for the weekend to some potentially scandalous place with her friends. It seemed like such a... _ normal teenager  _ thing to do, and she’d longed to feel normal for her entire life. Plus, she just wanted to hang out with her friends for three days straight without ever having to go back to Mrs. Nash’s hell-hole in between. 

“It  _ does _ sound like fun,” she admitted. 

“Great!” Willa said. “So it’s settled. I’ll have Dell roped in by the end of the week.”

Willa went to turn back to the canvas, but Jess wasn’t done. 

“One caveat,” she said. 

“What’s that?”

“Terry’s never gonna go for it if Charlie’s not there.”

Jess was waiting for Willa to frown, but a sly and uncharacteristically confident grin was still on her face. 

“Oh Jessica, Jessica, Jessica,” she said. “You’re so naive!”

“Were you and Dell experimenting with mixing Coke and coffee again this morning?”

“Don’t you see?!” Willa continued, ignoring her. “The solution is  _ in _ the caveat.”

Jess looked confused, but with a devilish smirk and a raise of her eyebrows, Willa reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bye! Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow with "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."


	6. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry this is late! The semester got super busy! We're back with the Christmas ficlets! @kingdomkeepersunite of Instagram and I are going to post about 2 ficlets a day now to make up for lost time , and go to about New Years. Check out more details on my Instagram @akingdomofkeepersims and @kingdomkeepersunite for an edit to match this fic! Sorry for the wait, thanks for your patience,and hope you enjoy!

**December 6th:** **It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas**

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, soon the bells will start

But the thing that’ll make them ring, 

is the carol that you sing right within your heart.”

****

Maybeck was sitting at a table in Crazy Glaze, painting a ceramic snowman, lost in thought. Footsteps sounded from the stairs and soon Jelly walked in, carrying stacks of cardboard boxes and Rubbermaid bins. 

“How’s it going over there?” she asked. 

Maybeck, barely having noticed her come into the room, looked up. 

“Fine,” he said flatly. It was the day they’d selected to decorate the store for Christmas, and Maybeck was in charge of painting the pieces for the window and display shelves while his aunt got the rest of the decorations down from their apartment. 

Bess Morton sighed. It had been hard to get her nephew to get excited about anything lately. 

“Do you have any plans this weekend?”she asked, hoping to cheer him up.

“Jess might come over on Saturday to help with painting,” he muttered. “And everyone’s coming on Sunday.”

Bess put the boxes down and stared at him with her hand on her hip, frowning. He wouldn’t tell her he was upset, she knew; he was too proud. Since his girlfriend had moved across the country, there had been a lot of times like this. She wanted more than anything to fix it, but all she could ever do was wish she could take away the pain. 

“You’ll see her soon enough,” she said softly. 

Though he’d never tell her what was upsetting him, it wasn’t hard for her to tell. Still, Terry simply gave a half-hearted grunt and continued to stare at the table. 

Bess had a thought then that she dared to hope might work. She walked across the room to where they kept the stereo system and fiddled with some buttons. Sound started to come from the speakers and she slowly turned the dial, bopping along to the beat until the music was blasting through the room. 

_ Hang all the mistletoe, I’m gonna get to know you better: This Christmas _

Maybeck turned and saw his Aunt raising her eyebrows and badly dancing towards him. He rolled his eyes. He knew what she was trying to do. Sighing, and laughing slightly, he turned back to hs work, but she continued to dance to him, and eventually reached his stool. She put her hands on his shoulders and tried to turn him around. 

He sighed with a smile. When he was younger, this was a Christmas tradition: dancing around the store to blasted Christmas carols while they decorated. It had started as a way to cheer him up once in the first grade, and quickly developed into an annual thing. Since he’d started high school, the music had stayed, but the obnoxious dancing had slowly faded out. With Charlene coming to join them since the ninth grade, it was also the first time in a while that it was just the two of them decorating. 

He stayed put and held his ground, but he turned his head over his shoulder, and Jelly wasn’t budging. She continued to shimmy and bop her head and bounce with a goofy smile plastered on her face. Maybeck stared at her and raised his eyebrows. Now it was a game of who was going to give in first. 

Jelly kept dancing, and Terry kept staring her down, until, eventually, with a chuckle, he couldn’t resist anymore. He got up from his chair and joined her in bad dance moves, laughing along like he was eight years old again. 

Eventually, he grabbed her hands so they could dance together, twisting back and forth. He’d gotten just a bit too big to dance on her toes, but that wouldn’t stop him from getting close. 

As they danced, his laughter died down and melted into a soft smile. In this moment, even though he still missed Charlene, he remembered how much good he still had around him. It seemed fitting that his last Christmas at home should be like this. It had always been him and his aunt against the world, and he couldn’t be happier to have his aunt now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in a bit with "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree".


	7. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the second story for today! It's time for some Fimanda awkwardness, featuring Jess and the Whitmans!

**Friday, December 7th:** **Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree**

“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop   
Mistletoe hung where you can see, every couple tries to stop.”

****

“ _ Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas, it’s the best time of the year _ ,” 

Mrs. Whitman sang along to the Christmas Carols playing over the kitchen radio as she walked towards her family’s Christmas tree to hang another ornament. 

“ _ I don’t know if there’ll be snow, but have a cup of cheer _ !”

Finn and his little sister Katie gave each other a side glance as they held in their laughter. Over the years, they’d come to expect their mother’s over-excited, off-key singing. Of course, they’d never let her know how hysterical they found it. 

Amanda and Jess chuckled slightly, and looked down at the floor to hide it. Finn, seeing this, looked over at Amanda and smiled. She in turn blushed and looked away from him. Then it was Jess and Katie’s turn to roll their eyes at each other. 

The two of them had gotten very used to watching their siblings amble awkwardly around their feelings for each other, and they’d become a sort of team in being fed up with it. Apparently, nothing quite bonded people more than wanting the people they loved to just get over themselves and date already. 

“Finn,” Mrs. Whitman called from the ornament box. “Why don’t you hang this one for me!”

Finn walked over to where she was standing. 

“Amanda dear, you too,” Mrs. Whitman said, motioning over. 

Amanda raised her eyebrows in surprise in confusion–she didn’t see how it took more than one person to hang an ornament–but got up from her seat anyway, shrugging. She smiled shyly at him as he walked over, and he did the same in return. When he saw the ornament his mother was handing him though, an ear-to-ear grin plastered on her face, he froze. Amanda blushed. It was an ornament of Mickey and Minnie kissing under the mistletoe.

Katie laughed so hard that she nearly squirted the hot-chocolate she was drinking out of her nose. The only thing funnier than watching her brother be incredibly awkward around his not-girlfriend was watching her mother try to meddle with absolutely no subtlety. Jess scooted her stool closer next to her and the two girls leaned into each other, anxiously munching on the bowl of the popcorn that was on the counter.

Finn and Amanda waited for a moment before walking towards the tree slowly, not saying a word. Mrs. Whitman was still beaming as she watched them, like she thought that somehow this was actually going to get her somewhere. Jess and Katie just ate their popcorn and tried not to laugh. Mr. Whitman looked up from his task of untangling Christmas lights before sighing and looking away again. He needed no part of his wife’s antics. 

Finn went to hang the ornament on the tree and Amanda stood directly behind him, trying to decide how to navigate this. She reached out her hand to place it on top of his, thinking that that was how you hung an ornament together, but then pulled it back slightly, realizing what that might imply. Eventually, her hand just hung there, moving back and forth, while he placed the ornament over a branch. As soon as it was done, they both sprung back away from the tree and each other, causing Jess and Katie to laugh and Mrs. Whitman to frown, looking defeated. 

There were a few moments of silence before the music coming from the kitchen switched, and Mrs. Whitman perked back up to attention. It was Vince Vance and the Valiants’ “All I Want for Christmas is You” 

_Take back the_ _holly and mistletoe, silver bells on strings…_

“Oh honey,” Mrs. Whitman said. “Let’s dance!”

She strutted over to her husband and held held out her hand. He put down the lights and pulled her into a slow-dance position, smiling before they started swaying back and forth. 

“Well!” Finn proclaimed loudly. “It’s getting kind of late, I think maybe I should walk Amanda and Jess home.”

“Yeah,” Amanda stuttered. “I think so too.”

“Oh we can stay a little longer,” Jess complained, wanting to see what happened from here. 

“We have work in the morning,” Amanda said pointedly, giving her sister a death glare.

Jess rolled her eyes and hopped down from her stool while Finn walked to the front hall closet to grab their coats. 

“Oh can’t you stay a little while?” Mrs. Whitman complained, turning away from her husband for a moment, though still holding onto him. “We haven’t even finished yet.”

“Sorry,” Amanda said, flustered. “Thank you for dinner and the lovely evening Mr. and Mrs. Whitman. It’s always appreciated.”

She grabbed her coat from Finn and pointed her head down, rushing towards the door. 

“Can I come on this walk?!” Katie asked, raising up her hand. 

“Katie…” Finn complained through his teeth. 

“What? I was having a nice conversation with my friend Jess and I don’t want it to end yet. Plus I don’t want to stick around for whatever the heck is happening here.”Katie pointed between her mother and father. 

She pouted her lips and Jess raised her eyebrows at Finn, holding back laughter, as if to say  _ Touchè. _

“Fine,” Finn sighed, and Katie hopped off of her stool with a proud smile. 

Ten minutes later, the group had reached Mrs. Nash’s foster home, and they waited awkwardly now at the front door. Finn stood across from Amanda, and Jess stood next to them, watching. 

“Well uh, I guess I’ll see you guys at Crazy Glaze on Sunday,” Finn stuttered. 

“Yup,” Amanda replied. “Thanks uh...thanks again for inviting us tonight.”

“Anytime,” Finn said quietly. Then, for a while, nobody said anything and nobody moved. 

Eventually, Finn started to step forward, holding out his arms slightly as if he was going to hug Amanda goodbye, but then he pulled back. The dance continued for a while, the two of them making various moves to say goodbye to each other in different ways, but refusing to commit. Eventually, Jess, unable to take anymore, sighed and pushed past them to open the door, grabbing Amanda’s hand as she did so. 

“Goodnight Finn,” she said. Before Finn could say anything else, she pulled her sister inside and closed the door. 

Finn sighed and walked over to Katie, who was waiting by the curb. When he got there, her hand was on her hip. 

“What?” he asked. Katie just sighed and started to walk away from him. 

“What?!” he repeated following her. 

“Oh, ho the mistletoe, hung where you can see,” Katie sang, still walking ahead of Finn. 

“Katie,” he sighed. 

“Somebody waits for you,”

“Katilyn,”

“ _ Kiss her once for me _ !”

Finn threw his head back in anguish and jogged to catch up with his sister, consenting to the fact that it was going to be a long walk home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! See you tomorrow for "Marshmallow World" and "Christmas Wrapping"


	8. Marshmallow World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys are really gonna like this one :)

**Saturday, December 8** **th** **-** **Marshmallow World**

“It’s a marshmallow world in the winter,

When the snowflakes cover the ground.”

*****

“So your plan is to lie?” Philby asked. Willa hit him in the arm with the back of her wooden spoon. 

The pair were at Willa’s house for an afternoon of studying and watching Christmas movies. They were currently standing over the stove making hot chocolate, and Willa had just laid out her and Jess’ plans for the ski trip. 

“It’s not lying,” she complained. “It’s just….,manipulating the truth a little bit.”

“So….lying….on our part and hers.”

“Shut up,” Willa said, rolling her eyes and turning back to tend the pot. 

“Okay, but seriously Will...real talk...you honestly think we can pull this off?”

“Did we pull off hacking through Disney’s firewalls to sneak into the theme parks at night as holograms?” Willa chided. 

“Yes,” Philby said straightly. 

“Then don’t worry about it,” Willa proclaimed. “Just go get the marshmallows from the pantry.”

Willa returned to stirring the hot chocolate, sprinkling in cinnamon as she went. A minute later, Philby returned and placed a bag of mini-marshmallows on the counter. 

“All I’m saying,” he said, breaking the silence. “Is that I know Terry.”

“So do I, what’s your point? ” 

“Yeah, but I know him from like...a  _ guy’s _ perspective.”

Willa stopped what she was doing and raised her eyebrows at him with a hand on her hip, as if to say  _ really? _ , but he continued on.

“He’s not gonna go for this.”

“Well, from a  _ woman’s _ perspective,” Willa shot back, “I can tell you that we’re very gifted in the power of persuasion. Trust me and Jess on this one.”

Philby said nothing as Willa turned off the stove and poured the hot chocolate into the two mugs she’d had waiting on the counter. She turned to hand him his mug and saw his face twisted into a knot. She frowned. She knew that face. 

“Dell?” she asked, walking closer to him, hoping she hadn’t actually upset him in their banter. 

“I uh...I guess we’re really...going on this trip.”

He chuckled and flashed a soft smile, but quickly returned to gazing at the floor and looking like he was staring down a 20-foot high-dive. Willa blushed. 

“I guess we are...yeah,” she replied. 

She tried to be sweet about it, but he still looked like he might vomit all over her kitchen floor. Guilt boiled in her stomach. He was the one who’d suggested they go on this trip months ago, and all she’d ever do about it was list off all of the reasons to be hesitant about it. Now she’d gone and done a complete 180 on him. It couldn’t be easy. 

She stood on her tiptoes then and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, causing him to look up at her with her favorite, goofy little smile. She laughed. He only smiled like that when he was in one of his stupidly-happy moods. 

“I’m really excited about this,” she said softly. “Sure I’m still kinda scared but...if I have to get through the scary stuff in life at some point...there’s no one I’d rather do it with than you.”

This made his grin go even wider, and soon Willa’s face was lighting up too. 

“You know,” Philby said. “If we’re gonna do this...we have to skip two days of school.”

“Yeah so,” Willa proclaimed. “It’s our senior year! It’s the time to break rules, live on the edge, make memories…”

Philby stared at her with his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. 

“What?” Willa asked. 

“Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?” 

Willa smacked him on the arm again as they both laughed.

“You know it’s gonna be cold too!” Philby said. 

“Yeah, and that should be no problem for you Mr.  _ I lived in England _ ,” Willa shot back. 

“Oh I didn’t say it was a problem for  _ me _ ; I’m worried about you: all that snow.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Willa said. “I’ll get my practice in.”

“Practice?”

“Yeah...like this!”

She grabbed a handful of marshmallows from the bag on the counter and threw them at Philby. He gasped as she giggled, but it wasn’t long before he returned the gesture, reaching into the bag to throw a handful back. Willa grabbed marshmallows of her own before making a break for it, and soon they were chasing each other through her family’s kitchen, throwing marshmallows back in forth in some kind of mock-snow fight. 

After a minute or so, Willa managed to catch one of Philby’s projectiles in her mouth, and threw her arms up into the air in victory. 

“Oh no you don’t,” he exclaimed, racing towards her. 

Her eyes widened in alarm as she started to run from him again, but he was too fast for her. He caught up to her quickly and grabbed her around the middle from behind, lifting her up into the air as she squealed. She took the remaining marshmallows in her hand and attempted to shove them into his mouth to throw him off. He only did the same though, strong-enough with his rock-climber arms to hold her with only one. They were both laughing and yelling the whole time, Willa squealing and kicking. 

Eventually they turned, and saw Willa’s mother standing in the door with her arms crossed. They froze, and Willa, her mouth full of marshmallows, held them there without chewing. 

“Hi Mom,” she mumbled. Philby, eventually realizing how they must’ve looked, put Willa down.

Mrs. Angelo continued to say nothing, just crossed her arms and stared. 

“We’re gonna clean this up,” Willa said. 

Without another word or gesture, Willa’s mother walked out of the room, shaking her head slightly as she did. Once she was gone, Willa and Philby burst into giggles, before he wrapped his arms around her again and planted a sticky marshmallow kiss on her cheek. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I claim no responsibility for the cuteness. Willa and Dell took over! Anyway, see you in a bit with "Christmas Wrapping"


	9. Christmas Wrapping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Hope you enjoy!

**Sunday, December 9** **th** **-** **“Christmas Wrapping”**

“Bah Humbug, but that’s too strong

It is my favorite holiday.”

_ Bah Humbug! But that’s too strong; it is my favorite holiday, but all this year’s been a busy blur; don’t think I have the energy… _

Christmas music blared throughout Crazy Glaze as kids ran around, shouting at their parents to follow them as they headed to make different crafts. It was the shop’s annual holiday party, where for a flat ticket fee, families could come and eat, decorate crafts, and dance to music provided by a DJ. It was the store’s biggest money maker all year, and it required all hands on deck to run smoothly. Consequently, all of the Kingdom Keepers always came to help out Jelly and Maybeck. 

This year, all of them, minus Charlene, were at the gift-wrapping table, packaging presents for those who purchased the pieces on display. 

“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Willa insisted. “And today’s the last day to sign up, so you have to decide now.”

Jess and Willa were currently in the process of trying to get the others to go on the ski-trip. Philby was being decidedly silent.

“I don’t know,” Finn said. “It’s always seemed like a sort of A-List crowd kind of thing to me. I feel like it would just be us being miserable watching everyone drink and sleep together.” 

“We’d have our own cabin,” Jess replied. “We wouldn’t ever have to go  _ near  _ anyone else if we didn’t want to.” 

“Isn’t it a little bit pricey?” Maybeck asked. 

“Well I actually spoke to Wanda the other day,” Willa said. “She has a lot of stuff that Wayne left to her and said she thought he’d like it if she did something really big for all of us for Christmas, so she’s paying for half of it. It would be about 42 bucks each to cover the rest.”

There were a few moments of silence as the others took this in. 

“But...what about Mrs. Nash,” Amanda stuttered. “She’d never go for it.”

“I already talked to her,” Jess said. “She didn’t take too long to crack after my threat to show the cops proof of her forged birth certificates to keep girls there after age eighteen.”

She and Willa leaned back in their chairs with their arms crossed, then gave each other a quick high-five. 

“I don’t know you guys...” Maybeck said. 

“Terry,” Willa said, leaning forward on the table. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s our senior year: that only happens once. Remember what I said about making our last Christmas together one to remember? This is the way to make that happen!”

“Yeah, but...I don’t wanna be some third wheel.”

He smiled at a woman who handed him a model of Santa’s sleigh and put it in a box before beginning to wrap it in candy-cane striped paper. 

“You won’t be a third wheel; I’ll be there,” Jess argued. “Besides, you and I both know Charlie would kill you if she found out you passed up something like this.”

Maybeck shook his head, still looking doubtful. 

“I have a lot of homework to do,” Finn said. “My English teacher’s hounding us about these stupid college essays, and I’ve got like...a 50 page packet for Math due before Christmas.”

Amanda nodded.

“Like you’d be doing it on the weekend anyway,” Jess snapped. Amanda stuck out her tongue. 

Willa sighed and looked to Philby for help, but he was currently wrestling with a roll of tape as a woman waited impatiently for her manger-statue to be wrapped. He sensed after a moment that he was being stared at and looked up before stuttering out a response. 

“Yeah,” he said. “It’ll be fun.”

Willa groaned. He wasn’t exactly providing a unique perspective on the situation. Maybeck handed his customer her sleigh before nonchalantly reaching over and grabbing Philby’s box from him. Philby was now paying more attention to being offended by the gesture than to the conversation. 

“How are we even planning on getting there?” Maybeck offered. “I may be able to afford 40 bucks, but I certainly can’t afford last minute plane tickets.”

Finn and Amanda nodded proudly. 

“My Dad said we can use my Grandpa’s van,” Willa said. “It’s big enough to fit all of us, and we can take turns driving.”

No one said anything for a while, and Jess and Willa stared them all down. 

“Alright,” Finn said, leaning back in defeat. “I guess...I’ll go.”

Willa and Jess gave a little clap and then turned to Amanda.

“Well I’m not very well gonna stay alone with Mrs. Nash all weekend, and I can’t stay with you if you’re going” she said with her arms crossed, looking at Finn. “So looks like I’m in too.”

Willa and Jes cheered again and then all eyes were on Maybeck. He continued working on a present before looking up at all of them and letting out a loud sigh.

“Fine,” he complained. “But don’t expect me to be Buddy the Christmas Elf,”

“Oh believe me Terry,” Willa said. She and Jess smirked at each other. “When the time comes, and you’re just surrounded by all that Christmas magic...you might surprise yourself.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you tomorrow with "The Chipmunk Song" and "A Place Called Home"


End file.
